Saturday, April 28, 2012

In The Moochers Abroad, Fiona, Katherine and Celia go scrambling over the rocks after a picnic on the beach with Miss Barclay, who tells them that it's too soon after a heavy meal to bathe. They go along the beach till they come to the next cove and decide to explore a cave in the cliff wall. That cove is not named, but it is similar to Pencannow Point in Crackington Haven. In her eagerness to reach the cave, Celia lets loose a mini landslide and gets trapped under a large rock, although miraculously she comes out with nothing more than a swollen ankle. Cornwall's cliffs are 430 feet high. A head for heights is essential!

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

This photo is a link to Crackington Manor, which was expanded and slightly relocated in The Moochers to become Pendragon Manor, where Fiona and Katherine spent their last two years of schooling. Today it is a guest house. You can visit the website by clicking here. It seems to be very comfortable and lavish and I would love to visit it on my next trip to the UK. The site also has many photographs of the region, which helped the books come more alive for me.

Pendragon Haven in Cornwall is the setting for The Moochers stories. Like many other places in Jane Shaw, it is a thinly disguised version of a real location: Crackington Haven. The Evans family spent several holidays there and the author used this area of Cornwall as the setting for The Moochers stories, Family Trouble and (as Jean Bell) The Penhallow Mystery. Pendragon Manor is based on Crackington Manor, which is now a guest house.

In the Moochers stories,
Percie was a co-educational school on the east coast of Scotland. It was founded
in 1940 and went bankrupt in 1950. It was run on fairly liberal grounds with very
little in the way of hierarchy. The school was the opposite of the public school
system in Britain at the time. There were no head students or prefects and everyone
had an equal say. The pupils were given the freedom not to attend lessons and there
was none of the strictness usually associated with British schools. On one occasion,
a boy locked up the headmaster for a whole day and ran the school himself, apparently
with no disciplinary consequences. The headmaster is not named, but the pupils referred
to him as the Old Man. The only teacher to be named in the stories was a maths teacher
known as old Williams. Mr. Williams is described as having a “lashing tongue” although
the pupils seem to have been undaunted by him. One aspect of the school that pupils
evidently enjoyed was the debating society, where all were free to speak their minds.
The closure of the school caught all the parents and pupils on the hop as there
appeared to be no lack of students and fees were incredibly high. Fiona Auchenvole’s
mother repeatedly expresses incredulity at the bankruptcy of the school considering
the astronomical cost of its tuition. The closure of Percie resulted in a scramble
by desperate parents to find alternative schools for their children. Fiona and her
cousin Katherine Morton were able to find last-minute places at Pendragon Manor
in Cornwall because Katherine’s mother was at school with Pendragon’s head mistress.
The fate of the other Percie pupils following the school’s closure is not recorded.
The teaching methods at Percie were clearly approved of by its pupils but were held
in contempt by traditional public school pupils. The headmaster’s liberal ways were ahead of their time and were what attracted Katherine’s free-thinking father
to enrol his daughter at the school. However, it is obvious that the headmaster
had little in the way of managerial skills and this led to Percie’s financial ruin.

Published in
1950 by Lutterworth Press, The Moochers is the first of three stories involving
cousins Fiona Auchenvole and Katherine Morton. The tale begins with Fiona and
Katherine, both aged sixteen, getting ready to move to Cornwall to attend their
new school Pendragon Manor. Hitherto, they had been educated at Percie, a
modern co-educational school on the east coast of Scotland. However, following
the school’s bankruptcy, the only place their parents can find that will take
them at a late date is Pendragon. Fiona, who lives in Scotland, will travel to
Bath, where she will be met by Katherine. However, during the journey, she is
very ill and collapses at the train station in Bath and is forced to take to
bed for two weeks. During her recovery, she reads an old diary penned in 1794
by another Katherine Morton, chronicling her journey to Cornwall and her only
day at Pendragon Manor. Great-aunt Katherine’s description of the school fills
Fiona with foreboding and she and Katherine finally make their way there
determined not to like it. Upon arrival, they, with their co-educational
schooling, scorn the house system and traditions of Pendragon, with its Head
Girl and strict timetables. They flaunt the school rules, walk out of classes
and show no respect for Head Girl Betty Hill, who nicknames them The Moochers
because they always “mooch around”. However, the girls inevitably grow to like
Pendragon, make friends and take part in school activities such as the drama
club and hockey team. And just as they are getting to love the place, they find
that it is threatened with closure. The school doesn’t have the money to buy
the land and all seems lost. But there is the legendary long-lost treasure, the
Pendragon Hoard, and Great-aunt Katherine’s ancient journal yields interesting
information about a secret passage.

This is the author’s
fifth novel and it is classic Jane Shaw material. On the first reading, what you
have is a straightforward well told story, but one so rich in detail that you just
have to read it again. Then the nuances become more evident. The characterization
is excellent. Katherine is fearless and enjoys challenging the school authorities,
i.e. mistresses and head girl. Fiona has a healthy appetite for both food and adventure.
The minor characters are also interesting. The cousins befriend Isobel Gurney, a
shy, quiet girl that everyone deems to be of little consequence but who has a hidden
talent for hockey. Mr. and Mrs. Pengelly, the school’s closest neighbours, live
in a cottage called Little Nance that becomes a haven for the Moochers, especially
Fiona, who adores Mrs. Pengelly’s abundant supply of Cornish delicacies. Even the
“enemies” come across as sympathetic in their own way. Miss Perry, the maths teacher,
is quite unpleasant, but when she falls for a crooked councilor who is only using
her to get dirt on the school to force it to close, you can’t help but feel sorry
for her. Even Betty Hill, the Head Girl, comes across as not such a bad egg in the
end, although the girls do not all become fast friends. There are more fine shades
in the characters in this story than in the Susan series, for instance, where the
“bad” people such as the Gascoignes, Major Banks and Sir Arthur Symes were all bad
all the time, although the overall tone of the Susan series is much more lighthearted
and it may not be fair to draw comparisons. One character that really gives depth
to the story is Pendragon Manor itself. It is an old house with a deep sense of
history behind it that is skillfully used to provide a real historical background.
The only slightly disappointing character is Great-aunt Katherine. In her diary
she recounts that during her first night at Pendragon she sees a man in her room.
Next morning she leaves the school believing that it is haunted. This was the only
weak link in the whole story in my opinion. Up to this point, the girls, especially
Fiona, had been greatly impressed by their ancestor, her endurance and strength
and avant garde views. To have her flee the school because of a “ghost” makes her
sound a bit weak and childish. Furthermore, at the end of the story her diary is
preserved as a historical treasure, which is strange since her opinions of the school
were overwhelmingly negative. The ghost story in one way was a clever plot device.
The secret passage had to be worked into Great-aunt Katherine’s journal and so she
awakes during the night to see a man disappearing into a wall. However, this could
have been contrived differently, with Katherine staying on at the school and finishing
her time there still wondering about what had happened. To have her running scared
put a bit of a damper on her character. Having said that, on the whole the character
is used with great skill to forge a bond over the generations and also to show some
enduring family traits. The fathers of both Katherines are very keen on getting
their daughters educated in the most modern ways possible. In 1794, Katherine Morton
notes that among her friends she is the only one to go to school at all. The Katherine
of 1950 was sent to a co-educational school by her father, who believed that the
more modern methods of teaching would be of great benefit to his daughter.

The Moochers is in
many ways a typical Jane Shaw story. The main characters are two cousins at a boarding
school in the south of England where the most unpleasant teacher is a maths teacher
and there is a buried treasure to be found that will handily save the school in
a time of crisis. However, the sense of history in the form of Pendragon Manor,
its revered founder Mrs. Trevelyan and Great-aunt Katherine’s diary set it apart
from anything else the author ever produced. The Moochers is also one of the few
stories set in Cornwall and her descriptions of the scenery, local village and local
characters give it a sense of uniqueness.

The Moochers was
followed by a sequel, The Moochers Abroad, in 1951. A third story, Moochers and
Prefects, was forwarded to West Regional TV for consideration and was mislaid and
never recovered. As the author had no back-up copy, the story was lost forever.
But as far as the first book is concerned, I would rate it 9 out of 10. A real gem.

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

The Onion Man is a story for very young children. Here we can see the fairy fisherman begging William not to return him to the Onion Man, of whom he is mortally afraid. Instead, he wants to go back to Brittany.

Mrs. Pengelly is
a resident of Pendragon Haven in Cornwall and features in The Moochers and The Moochers
Abroad. When Fiona and Katherine move to Pendragon Manor, one of the first people
to befriend them is Mrs. Pengelly, the Glaswegian wife of the taxi driver who brings
the girls to the school. The Pengellys live just down the road from the school in
a cottage called Little Nance. When Mrs. Pengelly first moved to Cornwall, she was
a laundry-maid at Pendragon Manor. She enjoys the company of the girls, especially
Fiona, who is also Scottish. Mrs. Pengelly is an excellent cook and her speciality
is Cornish splits and cream. Both girls enjoy her cooking, especially Fiona, who
uses any excuse she can think of to suggest dropping in on their neighbour. Despite
her many years in Cornwall, Mrs. Pengelly still speaks with a Glasgow accent. She
decorates her house with geraniums and is a cat lover.

To have restored his picture to a delighted Lord Claire was some consolation. There weren't many others; for in the end-of-term results New House came bottom in every House competition with unfailing regularity.

Not that Pendragon called them the Moochers then, of course: that came later. That first day they were only two new girls called Fiona Something-or-other and Katherine Morton, of whom Pendragon was taking rather a dim view. The Manor House Seniors were gathered in the Seniors' sitting-room discussing them. To begin with, it was against all precedent for any girl, far less two, to come to Pendragon at the advanced age of sixteen - and a week late at that; then, it was well known that they had come from one of those crank co-educational schools, and everybody knew what they, and their products, were like.

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Threepenny Bit was published in 1955 by Nelson. Jane Shaw published the Penny series with Nelson because her first editor at Collins, Jocelyn Oliver, moved there in the 1950s. They had a firm friendship, but that didn't stop him from making severe criticisms of her work when he felt the need, and she took his opinion very seriously. The result was that the Penny series, in terms of the quality of the writing, is probably Jane Shaw's greatest output, although the fan base for the Susan series was much larger. I personally believe that with the fifth book in the series, Fivepenny Mystery, Jane Shaw reached the pinnacle of her career.

It is settled. I am to go to Mrs. Trevelyan's Boarding Establishment on the 22nd of September. Mamma, I know, hoped that some School nearer home - even in Bath - might be fixed on, but Papa has heard such prodigious good reports of Mrs. Trevelyan that he is determined that I should go to her. Sometimes I could wish that dear Papa were not so eager to have his Daughter educated. It is so droll in him. Not one of my Friends has been to School, and now I must go to a Boarding School! I am sorry for it beyond measure, but it is settled.

From THE MOOCHERS, Chapter 2, The Journal. Fiona is reading Great-aunt Katherine's diary that chronicles the journey to and her one day at Pendragon Manor in 1794. It is interesting to note that, like his descendants, Great-aunt Katherine's father is very keen on giving his daughter an alternative education. In the 1940s, over 150 years later, Katherine and Fiona's parents are all keen on sending the girls to progressive schools.

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Published in 1950, The Moochers is Jane Shaw's first ever school story. It chronicles the first term of cousins Fiona Auchenvole and Katherine Morton at Pendragon Manor in Cornwall. The story is delightful and contains many elements that would become recurring themes in the author's later school stories such as Susan at School and the Northmead books: the bossy head girl, the sarcastic maths teacher and the long-lost treasure. The book was published by Lutterworth Press and is one of the harder to find Jane Shaw stories. But it is well worth trying to locate a copy. It was followed by The Moochers Abroad in 1951. The manuscript of a third story, Moochers and Prefects, was sent to West Regional Television and lost while the TV station was considering it for dramatisation.

Isobel Gurney is
an upper fifth pupil at Manor House in Pendragon Manor. She is one of the main characters in The Moochers and makes a brief appearance in The Moochers Abroad. It is also likely that she featured in the lost manuscript of Moochers and Prefects. She is sixteen years
old and described as slight and fair in appearance and speaks in a quiet voice. When Fiona and Katherine (the Moochers) first
arrive at Pendragon, it is Isobel who shows them around the school and shares a
room with them, and the three girls quickly become friends. Katherine and Fiona
take a liking to this shy girl and take her under their wing. Isobel is keen on
history, and she is also a talented hockey goalie but is not given the chance
to play in goal by bossy Head Girl and hockey captain Betty Hill. Betty makes Isobel
play as a winger and is scornful of her, describing her as so bad that a “third-former
with her legs tied together” could beat her. Isobel is constantly in awe of
Betty, but Katherine thinks that Betty treats her “like a beast” and is
determined to improve her new friend’s status at the school. Fiona and
Katherine help Isobel to train and are surprised that despite her small stature
she turns out to be brilliant in goal. When a flu epidemic breaks out and sidelines the house's goalie, they
suggest Isobel’s name. In desperation, Betty gives her a try and everyone is amazed
at how talented she is. Isobel goes on to help Manor win the House Cup for the
first time in years in a dramatic victory over the Dragons. She also comes
second in the Hope Burdon historical essay with her piece on the Industrial
Revolution and ultimately helps Manor to win the coveted House Shield. She is
also present at the finding of the legendary Pendragon Hoard treasure trove. In
one term, Isobel goes from being a humble shy girl to a major player at
Pendragon Manor. However, her character remains unchanged and she continues to
be very considerate and anxious not to hurt or offend people. Isobel is called
Bella by the Moochers. Little is said about her life outside of Pendragon
except that she has three brothers who are keen hockey players and study at
Sanford, and that training with them made her such a good goalie.

The answer to Quiz 41: The most frequently used location in Jane Shaw's stories is Kent. More stories are set there than any other location, including the Northmead novels, Jumble Sale, Willow Green Mystery, Susan's Helping Hand and all the St. Ronan's stories.

Fiona didn't think that Katherine's neck was likely to be any stronger than her own, so she declined this offer. She shone her torch down the steps. "They look perfect," she said. "Very stout, really, but I'll go carefully." She went very carefully and, followed by the others, reached the bottom - a sort of small landing. On the right was a wooden panel; before them more steps descended.

Susan bounced out of bed next morning at a shockingly early hour. The stamp was safe; with any luck there would be news of her parents from their prison-ship that day... how could anyone sleep on such a wonderful, happy morning?

Well, Midge could, for one. She hunched the blankets round her shoulders, closed her eyes firmly and turned her back on Susan.

"Och, Midge," wailed Susan. "I want to talk!"

"Later," mumbled Midge. "About two hours later."

From WHERE IS SUSAN? Chapter 15, V.I.P. Treatment. Another example of a theme that permeates the series: Susan, the early riser, hauling Midge out of a deep sleep. This type of running gag provides the answer to a frequently asked question: why are so many of Jane Shaw's characters cousins? Caroline and Sara, Susan, Midge and Charlotte, Fiona and Katherine, Dizzy and Alison, and Jennifer and Eleanor are all cousins. The answer would seem to be that by making them cousins you can have contrasting characters relating to one another when they otherwise would not. It's hard to imagine Midge wanting to be friends with a girl like Susan if they weren't related. The same goes for the practical Alison and the eccentric Dizzy. But unlike friends, you have to take your family as they are; you can't choose them. It's a convenient plot device.

It was indeed a sorry sight. Leaving the Alpenrose, the girls had had some qualms at the condition of Sara's poor father's beautiful hogskin bag, all stained and discoloured with dirt; so, in a panic, they had decided to wrap newspaper round it each morning. So newspaper, tossed and torn by the wind, festooned the already unsightly pile of soiled bag and haversacks, and Sara was just suggesting that a towel wrapped round and hanging down would obscure the number plate better when John emerged, and ordered them back into the car in a hurry.

"The south of France would be lovely," said Mrs. Eliot, "if your father could earn a living there. But unfortunately he hasn't a brother there, and a ready-made practice waiting for him to share, as he has in Johannesburg!"

Jennifer let out a wail. "Susan! What about Susan?"

"Really, Jenny," said her mother. "You must not scream like that. I nearly jumped out of my skin. And it's all right, Susan can come with us. I telephoned South Africa House, and there's no quarantine for dogs going from England--"

From VENTURE TO SOUTH AFRICA, Chapter 1, The Journey Begins. The Susan in question here is not Jane Shaw's best known character Susan Lyle, but the Eliots' Airedale!

The Law unbent even further over his tea. He was a Macfarlane himself, he confessed, from Crianlarich, and Luss was a bonny wee spot, but promotion was slow. He brooded on this for a little. Then he said, "You had the bad luck yoursel's recently, with the five-pound notes."

So that's it, thought Lilias. Fanny, who, the more innocent she was the guiltier she looked, went a deep pink, and had difficulty in swallowing the bit of bun she had in her mouth. That cat in the post-office, thought Pips.

Dizzy looked around rather wildly and shrugged. She pointed to the corner furthest from Madame Bertholet's windows. I nodded.

But first we had to get past the windows. As I may or may not have mentioned, I was wearing my second-best suit, the skirt of which is rather tight, also my best stockings. To go crawling along under Madame Bertholet's windows was extremely difficult, undignified, uncomfortable and ruinous on the stockings. Honestly, I thought, the things that Dizzy gets me into!

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

A family of baboons take an interest in Tina, forcing her to climb so far up a rock that she can't find her way down and needs to be rescued. From the only short story of Jane Shaw's set in South Africa, The Matchmakers.

"I don't understand," said Belle, and now she didn't look so pale or so defiant, she only looked bewildered. "Our Aunt Evelyn met us in London and we lived with her for two months - she wasn't what I expected Mummy's sister to be, yet I recognised her, too, from photos that Mummy had before - before Daddy made her put them all away---"

Midge whispered to Susan, "This is a fine way to clear up a mystery. You've landed us in another!"

About Wichwood Village

Welcome to Wichwood Village, a blog about the life and works of Scottish author Jane Shaw. Between 1939 and 1969, she published over 40 books and numerous short stories for children. Her light sense of humour, captivating characters and their madcap banter are hallmarks of her work. This blog is dedicated to exploring the protagonists, artwork and locations of her work and her life in general, with reviews and comments.

How I became a Jane Shaw enthusiast is explained in the first post of this blog, which you can read here.